


A Bath

by gang_gang



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, Hair Brushing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Selectively Mute Link, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 18:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12563052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gang_gang/pseuds/gang_gang
Summary: Link stops by the Zora's Domain for some R&R between adventures. Sidon is happy as always to be a good host.





	A Bath

‘Link! My dearest friend! How good it is to see you in our Domain again!’  
Link smiled wearily at Prince Sidon’s open arms as he trudged up the steps to the palace square. Sidon bent and grasped Link’s much smaller hands in his own in eager greeting.  
‘How is your quest coming along? How have you been keeping? You haven't fallen upon any hardship, have you? Goodness me-’  
Sidon glanced over Link’s shoulder at the trail of muddy water he’d left across the otherwise pristine flagstones. Then back at Link with a touch of concern in his eyes.  
‘Where in Hyrule did you go off to this time?’  
Link shrugged. 

Truth be told, he’d been trekking around the ridges in far northern Akkala. The swathes of autumnal forest and snowy peaks gave for a breathtaking sight, but the Guardians stalking among the trees had kept him on his toes. A few weeks of harsh weather, rough terrain, and the unwavering presence of monsters had left Link scraped, bruised, windburnt, and covered head to toe in a uniform layer of grime. He’d travelled south to the Domain to restock his supplies and grab a much-needed rest before he planned to travel elsewhere. He could have stopped at Tarrey Town, but… Link felt more at home in the Domain. And Sidon’s boundless energy always managed to brighten him up. Link couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about the Prince-

‘Link?’  
His chain of thought was suddenly interrupted and Link realised that Sidon had been trying to talk to him. Sidon placed a hand on his shoulder gently.  
‘I said, is there anything you need whilst you are here? I'm happy to personally assist you, as always.’  
Link roused himself, then nodded his head enthusiastically. He signed the rest of his sentence.  
_A bath. Please._ He wasn’t sure how well Sidon could smell when not underwater. Not too well, he hoped.  
Sidon clapped his hands together at the suggestion.  
‘Then to the bathhouse it is! Follow me, my favourite Hylian.’  
And he spun animatedly on his heel and set off under the palace archway with Link in tow. As they walked across the chamber, Link caught the piercing eyes of Muzu from across the room. Link gave him a wave with a sheepish smile, which Muzu returned stiffly, wiggling his feelers at the mud on the floor with disapproval.

The palace bathhouse was, like all other structures in the Domain, a piece of exquisite architecture. Lazy billows of steam rose from the surfaces of about ten perfectly circular pools and hung around the high arched ceiling. It was quiet - the only sound was the occasional echoing drop of water.  
The bathwater was very hot, Link had found, when he dipped his fingers under the surface. The water was mostly opaque and had a greenish, pearly look to it. Sidon had happily explained to him on the way there that the water was filled with healing salts and minerals that the Goron merchants would sell them on their travels. It mimicked the renowned waters of the Goron hot springs, Sidon had said, since Eldin was much too harsh an environment for Zora to regularly venture into.  
Link stripped off his gear, undid his belt, and peeled his heavy tunic off his back, leaving everything in a heap on the floor as he went. He stepped gingerly into the steaming water, then slid the rest of the way in, blowing a stream of bubbles in relief once the water rose up to his nose. It was almost so hot it hurt, but the heat instantly penetrated his aching muscles and started to wash away at the pain. After enduring nothing but freezing mountain wind for a fortnight, it was bliss.

Link had just closed his eyes when Sidon suddenly reappeared from behind the folding screen by the side of the bath.  
‘How is the water? Good, isn’t it!’  
Link sat upright with a splash. Sidon gave him a very toothy grin, and gestured with the pile of linen he was holding.  
‘I brought a fresh towel for you. I’ll just place it here.’  
‘Ah- thank you…’  
Sidon hung the towel on the screen, and then to Link’s surprise, sat down cross-legged on the floor beside him. Link sunk a little lower under the water. He guessed Zora didn't really possess a similar concept of modesty since, well, they didn't wear clothes.  
The Prince leaned forwards with his hands on his knees.  
‘So, do tell me. How have you been faring, Link?’  
Every bit of his body language oozed with attentiveness and interest. He’s very good at this, Link thought to himself. Making someone feel so comfortable, even in an odd situation. But then again, maybe bathing was more of a social event for Zora.

Link raised his hands above the water’s surface.  
_Well-_

Not that he minded. Company was always welcome after being alone so often.  
And... especially with Sidon.  
The Prince’s diplomatic duties had required him to learn Hylian sign language and was one of the very few people who could use it fluently. Link found being able to converse at length with Sidon was a rare pleasure.

‘North Akkala?’ Sidon said with a frown. ‘Isn’t the citadel there infested with Guardians?’  
Link rolled his eyes.  
_Loads of them._  
‘Did you get by them alright? Are you hurt at all?’  
He smiled at Sidon’s concern.  
_Nothing I can’t handle._  
Sidon placed his claws over his crest dramatically.  
‘Of course! You’re the Hylian Champion! What’s a Guardian or two to a legend such as yourself.’  
Link snorted.  
_I wouldn't say that._  
‘Didn’t you slay hundreds of them during the Calamity?’  
_I..._  
Link faltered halfway through the next sign. Then waved his hands.  
_I’ll tell you about that some other time._  
Sidon nodded sincerely.  
‘Of course!’

Link took the lull in conversation to exhale deeply and rest his head against the rim of the bath. The sweat and steam condensed on his bare skin and rolled down his forehead in fine droplets.  
‘What about you?’ Link asked, then signed the rest. _How are things in the Domain now that Vah Ruta has calmed down?_  
‘Me? Hum…’ Sidon rocked back thoughtfully whilst Link started to scrub away at his hands and face with the foamy water. A steady stream of dirt floated off his skin and was (thankfully) sucked into the filter that kept the water rotating.  
‘My father has certainly been keeping everyone busy since you left. He says the time for idleness has passed now that we’ve regained control of Vah Ruta, and we should be doing everything we can as a people to help vanquish Ganon once and for all!’ He flashed a sparkling smile at Link.  
‘I agree with him, of course. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe.’

Link ran a hand through his fringe in mild exasperation. He wasn’t sure at times how to handle Sidon’s stream of praise. Instead, he redirected the conversation.

_Yes, but- I asked how you were._

Link watched Sidon wave his tail as he turned over the question in his mind. For someone so expressive, the Prince was sometimes so hard to read.

‘Well… Like I said, I’ve been busy. I have my duties as a diplomat to uphold. And those of a descendant…’

Link untied his hair as he listened and teased it out across his scalp. It was getting long, turning easily into a thick and tangled mess when he was out journeying.

‘And for that I’m certainly thankful. There’s just too much on my mind to be sitting and twiddling my thumbs.’

Link nodded in agreement, pouring the steaming water over his face and through his hair.

_I understand that feeling._

Sidon sighed gently.  
‘I wish I could go out adventuring with you. I have quite the heart for it, after all.’  
He scratched absentmindedly at the scar that adorned the fin to the left of his face.  
‘It would be so good to leave the palace for just a little while and go see the rest of the world…’

Link turned to look up at him.  
_I know a few nice places we could go once you get the time._

Sidon perked up.  
‘Really?’

‘Mm-hmm,’ Link nodded. _I have a house in Hateno village too, to the east of here. It's not very… royal. But it would be nice to have you come round._

Sidon looked back at Link, slack-jawed, then his face broke into a wide and lopsided grin. A little goofier than his usual perfect smile, but Link suddenly felt his heart leap at the sight.

‘You’d do that for me?!’ Sidon exclaimed.  
Link nodded vigorously, hoping the heat of the bathwater was hiding the blush that just rose to his face.

 _You’re doing the same for me, so it’s the least I can offer,_ he signed hastily.

‘Link,’ Sidon said sincerely. ‘I would love that.’

Link looked up at him with a flustered smile. He wasn’t sure what was going on with himself. Sidon was just so good at this. 

All he could do was lay his head back in the water to calm his mind.

‘When this is all over…’ Link said quietly.  
‘When this is all over,’ Sidon affirmed.

They were both quiet for a while. Sidon intently watched Link pull a piece of twig from his wet hair before a thought came to him.

‘Do you need a hairbrush?’  
‘Hm?’  
Link rose to look up at Sidon.  
_You have one?_  
Sidon nodded.  
‘I know where to get one. Wait right here!’  
And with that he stood and pattered away behind the screen.  
He returned a moment later with the brush. It seemed almost comically too small in his hand.  
‘See? I told you.’  
_You keep surprising me!_  
Sidon puffed out his chest.  
‘You will find none other than the Domain’s Zora to be the most accommodating to the needs of any traveller,’ he said somewhat pompously. Then he dropped the act, picking at the lacquer edge of the brush with one claw.  
‘I used to watch my sister brush your hair a lot.’  
Link raised his eyebrows, caught off guard.  
‘Mipha did?’  
‘Mm-hm,’ Sidon replied absently. ‘Do you remember at all?’

Link looked at the pearly water with a frown.  
‘I don’t know.’

Sidon seemed to think again when he sat down by the edge of the bath. For a moment he was quiet, still fiddling with the handle of the hairbrush. Then he held it up.

‘Maybe… maybe I can jog your memory, then,’ he offered. ‘May I?’  
Link nodded.  
For someone whose arms were corded with lean muscle, Sidon was surprisingly gentle. He started brushing the ends of Link’s dripping hair, moving his way upwards as he went to work out the knots. Link found himself gradually melting with each touch of the hairbrush. It felt good. No-one had paid him attention like this since… well, he had no idea.  
‘Am I doing it properly?’ Sidon asked.  
‘Mm-hm,’ Link groaned in affirmation. He liked how Sidon carefully ran his claws through after each stroke. He was thorough.

The hairbrush itself was lovely. The back was inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Link watched it catch the light hypnotically in the corner of his eyes...

When Sidon was finished, he leaned back and looked at Link with one hand on his chin, admiring his handiwork.  
‘Well!’ He exclaimed. ‘I do believe there was a person underneath all that mud!’

Link, who had fallen half-asleep, blinked awake and shot him a red-faced smile.

‘So… did that bring back any of your memory?’ Sidon asked him gingerly. ‘Any at all?’  
Link thought for a moment. Then shook his head.  
‘Ah… that’s alright, then. I suppose we could try again another time?’  
_Sounds like a good idea,_ Link signed.

Muffled echoes of dripping water punctuated their silence.

**Author's Note:**

> this would be the first fanfic i've ever completed and published, so please enjoy! p.s. i would die for this ship


End file.
